The 3 F’s

I’ve failed already. I haven’t gotten even one of my Craspedia seeds to germinate. I’ve coddled and loved and checked and waited. The flat remains empty three weeks past the expected germination time.

When Margaret and I took our first eager, intrepid steps down this path of farming we wanted advice from one of the best. Dan Kneier of Green Edge Gardens so kindly offered to come and look at the land, answer our questions, and share some wisdom. He brought his cute little girls (minus the newest, too fresh for such chilly adventures) and they quickly made themselves at home playing with our kids and relaxing, respectively as ages dictate.

We walked and talked and questioned and listened and laughed. He brought a fun device I had never seen called a penetrometer. We tested the ground on the higher field and the lower field. The soil in all the samples had been compacted but was acceptable – a verdict we embraced.

Dan went on to tell exactly what we should do to get our soil healthier as I took notes with hands too cold to keep up. At one point, our questions were finally sated, the wind abated and we could finally feel the sun shining warm. He asked us if we think farming will be fun. In that field, surrounded by our dreams of beautiful soil and thick rows of blooms, we could only imagine it would be. Dan gave us his most important words. He said, “You have to love what your doing because your going to fail, and fail a lot.” I don’t remember who came up with “The Three F’s,” but the list has stuck with me: farming, fun and failure. Dan assured us if you’re doing it right, then you’ll have all three.

I can’t get my Craspedia to sprout, but at least I’m doing it right; I’ve solidly achieved my final “F.”